The heat wasn’t the issue Thursday and probably never will be for the Hawaiian. But the wind was. The goalpost flags were flying, and during team drills, Tagovailoa threw directly into the wind.
That wind impacted a number of his throws, including his biggest completion of camp so far — a 45-yard hookup with Tyreek Hill. The ball fluttered and was significantly underthrown; credit Hill for adjusting to it and making a play.
Tua later nearly had a pick when he threw late across the middle, with Brandon Jones able to close on a ball that didn’t have the necessary zip.
It was one of two dropped interceptions the Dolphins’ defense had on passes thrown by Tagovailoa, who unofficially completed five of nine attempts for 108 yards. Nik Needham outmuscled Preston Williams for inside leverage on an in-breaking route and should have had the pick.
This isn’t meant to dump on Tagovailoa, who had several excellent throws Thursday, including a dart to Hill across the middle early in practice.
It’s just an acknowledgment of reality: The Dolphins have games in Chicago, Buffalo, and New England during the season’s last two months.
Playing in the AFC East means he’ll have to deal with bad weather for as long as he’s the Dolphins quarterback, and he has yet to consistently demonstrate he can.